Ben 10: Omniharem West
by Sallem Cortez 004
Summary: Politics are a complicated thing; One minute you're fighting an army of bad guys, the next you're bushwhacked into being a living political lynchpin via a number of arranged marriages. Watch as Ben gets involved with girls of all walks of life, be they paranormal, extraterrestrial, inter-dimensional, or even criminal. Features girls from Cartoons.
1. Intress, Takinom, & Aszil

Hey everyone! Not much for me to say that hasn't already been said in the summary, aside from the fact that I switch from one Ben 10 Omniharem to another whenever I hit a wall. Let's do this thing. BTW, this is one of the longest single chapters I've ever written for a story, tipping the scales at over 8000 words. Buckle up, and prepare for the ride.

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><p><strong>Chaotic<strong>

Life can be a funny thing. Seven years ago, if you'd told Ben that he was going to get a super hi-tech wristwatch that allows him to transform into a wide array of alien heroes, he'd have called you crazy, while sadly lamenting the fact that such a thing was impossible. Right after getting the first Omnitrix, if you'd told him his grandpa was a semi-retired member of an intergalactic police organization called the Plumbers, he'd laugh in your face, and remark what a stupid name it was. If you'd told Ben that getting into the card game fad called Chaotic a year ago would get a copy of his mind transported to another dimension where the creatures, magic, weapons, and locations on the card were real, he'd maintain a comfortable skepticism, while not immediately writing it off. If you'd told him just yesterday that the four tribes of Perim would be working together to invent a device to come to his world, he'd have brought a camera and called it Tuesday.

"Okay everybody, let's try taking this once more from the top." Diamondhead groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly as he stood in town hall, mediating a meeting between the various leaders of Perim, and President Obama, all five leaders under the heaviest of guard. "Each of the four tribal leaders will introduce themselves, their second-in-command, and their tribe. Then the President will introduce himself, welcome you to Earth, and to a lesser extent, America. So can we please at least get passed the introductions without starting a huge fight this time?" He pleaded in exasperation as he gestured around the building, which was severely damaged from large amounts of fire and lava, both of which clearly came from the short tempered Underworld representatives.

"My sentiments exactly." A tall green man with spiky black hair remarked. "We worked together on the portal for peaceful negotiations, remember?" He cast a sideways glance at a nearby red behemoth with dragonic horns, teeth, and tail, who just huffed in irritation.

"Fine then!" The red juggernaut said gruffly. "My name is Chaor, Leader of the Underworld, and the most powerful creature in all of Perim!" Ignoring the glances the other leaders were giving him, he gestured to his left, where a yellow and red skinned gargoyle-like woman with straight black hair in gothic armor was standing with a squadron of troopers, each one armed with gnarly looking flamethrowers and itchy trigger fingers.

"And I am Takinom." The woman introduced herself boldly. "Chaor's second-in-command, and most trusted adviser and general. And these are but a small unit of Underworld foot soldiers." She noted as she indicated the soldiers, the hidden threat barely hidden at all.

Glancing at the president and his secret service, none of whom gave any indication of fear outside a suspicious narrowing on their eyes, Diamondhead tried to set them at ease. "No need to get worked up Mr. President, the Undeworld's a pretty harsh place, so Chaor just likes to remind people how dangerous he is as a cautionary measure."

"As many warlords are want to do." Rook added quietly, his tone purely that of unbiased and nonjudgmental information sharing, though his partner did give him a slight glare to let him know to watch himself.

"Yes, well..." The green man began uneasily, though he quickly gathered himself. "My name is Maxxor, leader of the Overworlders." Gesturing to a tiger-like woman with wavy red hair in a loincloth and fabric bikini and a small unit of guards, he added. "Though I have brought a small unit of guards and my second-in-command, know that these are merely a precautionary measure against outside attacks. You have nothing to fear from us."

"And I am Intress." The tiger woman introduced herself in a pleasant tone that still held a strong confidence in her ability and authority. "It is my hope that our people can build up a mutually beneficial relationship of trust and understanding."

"I am Theb-Sarr." A tall and powerful looking blue lizard man in regal attire suddenly introduced himself, not bothering to wait for someone to notice him. "King of the desert dwelling Mipedians, and master of all our arts, both martial, and magical, and I assure you that the guards I have brought with are purely for aesthetic reasons, as I have no doubts in my own abilities." His words were confident yet reassuring without a hint of arrogance, setting everyone on edge, wondering what kind of dangerous man could carry himself in such a way.

"And I am his son Iflar." A lithe and athletic looking albino Mipedian in elegant yet modest looking attire introduced himself calmly. "Crown Prince of the Mipedian Tribe, and I assure you all, that title was well earned." His tone was just a bit more threatening than his father's, most likely due to a little less experience, but at the same time he gave off a warm and inviting aura.

"Again, I cannot restate enough how long the four tribes have been in conflict." Diamondhead told Obama, who didn't look troubled in the slightest. "It wasn't until the threat of the M'arillians came around that they all really started to work together, and that ended less than three months ago."

"And I am Queen Illexia of the Danian Tribe." A large, dull orange, four armed insectoid woman with a car sized thorax supported by two strong looking pairs of legs, one in the front and one in the back. If her mere gender and bloated thorax didn't give away her position in her tribe, her large crown and massive amount of winged guards would.

"And I am her daughter, Princess - soon to be Queen - Aszil." Remarked a much more humanoid and lithe looking orange and cyan stripped insectoid woman. She had eight arms, four in the front with fingers, and four in the back with barbs, likely for stabbing. Her thorax was considerably smaller than her mother's, with two long pairs of legs keeping her elevated to a regal position, and the three pairs of wings on it making her look even bigger than she already was. Her face looked like a human face, but with compound eyes, plated mouth, and horns, as well as long white and cyan colored hair. Holding all of this together was a distinctly female torso which looked too small to be the supporting joint in everything. Her tone was cold and menacing, not even trying to hide her ability to kill people with a motion and an order.

"She's always like this." Diamondhead reassured Obama and the secret service nonchalantly and loudly, much to Aszil's ire. "Even when I was saving her entire tribe from M'arillian Invasion and she started making goo-goo eyes at me."

Ben's remark got the reaction he was hoping for, as Aszil turned bright red in fury and embarrassment, with all the tribes, including her own, and even the president and a few secret service agents getting a good, tension breaking laugh out of it. Glaring at the Petrosapien in the hopes he'd burst into flame, she quickly turned away in a huff.

"Thank you all for taking the time to be here today." Obama remarked formally, giving no indication that he felt anything but calm and reasonable confidence in how today would go. "My name is Barrack Obama, and let me be the first to welcome all of you to Earth, and may I add that I have always wanted to say that." He smiled brightly, managing to bring a bit of humor to even the most stoic in the room. "Now then, on to the matter at hand; I understand that you have all come here today to discuss the matter of humans interfering in the various affairs of you world?"

"You got that right, Tiny." Chaor scoffed bitterly. "Those humans scuttling around in Perim have been major pests since day one. Don't get me wrong, some of them are actually alright, even helped me out personally once or twice." He grumbled out in a mixture of reluctance and respect. "But there are a lot of them that just don't give a damn what kind of damage they do so long as they get their precious scans!" He growled as he slammed him fist on the podium he'd been given, smashing it to splinters. Blinking stupefied at the damage for a few seconds, he huffed. "You really need to make these things sturdier, you know that?" He remarked in a conversational tone.

"I'll be sure to make a note of that." Obama remarked calmly as he ushered for a new podium to be brought to the Underworld section of the room. "As for the matter of the humans in Perim and these 'scans' they take, I'll let it be said right now that I was tragically unaware of the plight your tribes have had to face due to the actions of some of my planet's residents. I've read the report that my intelligence agents have managed to gather up, and I must say that I am simply appalled by what I've seen. Environmental destruction, political sabotage, infiltrating secure areas and tampering with dangerous weaponry, and what really disgusts me is how most of this blatant disregard for any notion of law or morality is being conducted by minors! And for what, a children's card game?" He shook his head in disappointment, furious at the conduct of his species. "Well I assure you all today that such problems will no longer be plaguing your people. I have the best investigators in the country working round the clock to ensure that whatever system these Chaotic players are using to go to and from your world, and shut it down."

"Don't be too hasty with that one, Obama." Maxxor cut in, the secret service glaring at him for addressing their leader so casually, while Obama himself was actually glad for at least one of the tribal leaders being at ease enough around him to forgo formality. "The technology we used to open the portal between our worlds was made by reverse engineering a scanner that the Underworlders confiscated from a Chaotic player. We don't know what will happen if the transportation system is shut down while the portal is up."

"So you guys just left an innocent kid stranded in Perim without their only ticket home?" Diamondhead quirked an eyebrow at Chaor, trying not to show his anger.

"The one we stole the scanner from was hardly what anyone could call innocent." Takinom cut in front of Chaor, sensing he was about to go into one of his infamous rages. "He's tried to help Lord Von Bloot stage a coup of the Underworld on more than one occasion. Again, all for scans. Not to mention we've heard nothing but bad things about this one from the few humans the Underworld trusts."

"This kid wouldn't happen to be a really dweeby looking guy named Klay, would it?" Diamondhead asked curiously, getting a nod from Takinom in response. "I hate him." He scowled, remembering a time he tried to scam him with a bad scan of a Phobia Mask.

"You're not the only one." Intress added her two cents. "Some of the guards caught him trading a Flux Bauble he stole from the Overworld armory with a Mipedian for a scan of a rare Mugic. We would have caught them both if he hadn't seen us coming and ported out, giving the Mipedian a warning so he could Flux away."

"Forgive me for saying this, but most of what you just said went over my head." Obama remarked calmly. "Back to the main point of today's meeting; what are your suggestions for how we should proceed in this matter? I am unaware of many of your foreign affairs, so I'll be needing a basis for us to establish peaceful relations between our worlds, assuming of course that you want anything to do with our world, that is." He requested peacefully and with no signs of disrespect.

"I don't know about the rest of my colleagues, but all I demand is that humans never trespass in Mount Pillar again." Illexia spoke with force and authority. "The Danians need and want for little, and we don't believe there is anything the humans could offer us that we desire, aside from the lack of their presence."

"I find that a bit hard to believe." Theb-Sarr scoffed bitterly, drawing bitter glares from the two Danian Royals.

"And what exactly do you mean by that, Mipedian?" Aszil glared heatedly as he wings began beating in anger.

"You think I don't know?" Theb-Sarr remarked calmly. "The desert we Mipedians are forced to live in was once a vibrant forest, until the ancient Danians drained away most of our water sources to fill their reservoirs."

"You seem to have adapted quite well to the arid climate though." Illexia noted haughtily. "After all, the Mipedians still stand as one of the four tribes. And what would you have us do anyway? The reservoirs are vital to the survival of our entire tribe."

Realizing that tensions were running high, Diamondhead braced a silently fuming Theb-Sarr, while Rook kept his Proto-Tool aimed at Illexia, causing her troops to circle around her and Aszil, keeping them from further comment.

"Alright now, settle down." Diamondhead grunted as he did his best to keep the Mipedian king from rushing headlong at the Danians and toppling them like bowling pins. "If everyone keeps getting into fights, this whole thing isn't gonna get anywhere."

"Everyone, stand down now!" Rook barked as he fired a warning shot, far enough away from the Danians so they knew he didn't want to hurt them, but close enough to let them know he meant business. The Danian who's head was barely missed by the laser bolt stared in wide-eyed disbelieve at the accuracy the alien had, sending out a hive signal to let his comrades know that this guy was very dangerous if he wanted to be.

Waiting for the tensions to wind down, Theb-Sarr went back to his corner of the room, while the guards around Illexia and Aszil spread out enough to let their leaders speak again.

"Well... we certainly know exactly what the Danians want from the Humans." Intress stressed the words Danian and Human, subtly reminding everyone that inter-tribal issues were on the back burner today, and that humans were the main focus here.

"The Overworlder is correct." Aszil seconded calmly, before a hint of predatory instinct slipped into her voice. "Regarding the point of our discussions at least, for there is one other demand I would like to make on behalf of my tribe."

"Oh, this should be good." Diamondhead muttered in exasperation to Rook, while everyone else was focused on the young princess.

"In restitution for having our home invaded, I see it only fair that we get a territory on Earth for the Danian Tribe to call their own." Aszil grinned maliciously, drawing cries of outrage from much of the hall.

"This is why you can't trust resource hungry Danians!" Theb-Sarr shouted over the other arguments while rushing at the Danians, as Diamondhead formed several giant crystals to form as barriers to separate the raging tribes. Before any actual fighting could start however, a blast from a laser cannon cut through the air and blasted away part of the roof, stopping everyone cold at the massive destruction from nowhere.

"That's enough out of all of you!" Diamondhead breathed a sigh of relief as he heard his grandpa's scolding voice booming around the hall. "Humans took violence out of political debates centuries ago, and I suggest the rest of you do the same!" Max Tennyson barked as he entered, carrying a large blaster over his shoulder.

Though the various leaders and seconds could all tell that this human was elderly, they could feel a level of battle experience radiating from him and the troops that followed him in that let them know it was a bad idea to cross them. So reluctantly, everyone once again went back to their corners.

"Funny," Diamondhead muttered as he changed back to Ben. "I thought that if anyone was going to cause problems today, it'd be Chaor picking a fight with Maxxor."

"I heard that, human!" Chaor snapped bitterly.

"Oh, come on, you know it's true." Ben protested.

"...Well yeah." Chaor shrugged sheepishly. "The stereotyping still hurts though."

Once everyone was finally settled down, a long and uneasy silence saturated the hall, no one daring to say anything that ran the risk of setting off another bombshell.

"Actually, Princess Aszil may be on the something." Iflar spoke up for the first time since the meeting began, quickly raising a hand to silence any objections, he continued. "Hear me out at least. While it's undeniable that some humans have had a negative impact on the stability and well being of Perim, it can also be said that some humans were key to our survival, especially during the M'arillian Invasion. Didn't young Tennyson himself state earlier that he aided in liberating Mount Pillar from the M'arillians?"

This got all the Perim natives looking back on the horrors of the M'arillians, and how much worse it could have been without the help of a certain alien hero. Three creatures in-particular could recall some rather notable encounters with the galaxy's greatest hero.

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><p><strong>Intress<strong>

Intress, the second highest authority in all of the Overworld, was fighting the most powerful foe she'd ever encountered. The worst part of it, she was forced to fight herself from the inside out. A M'arillian had taken over her mind, and she was forced to watch with her own eyes as she and many of her comrades were forced to turn on their own. Outside she was raging, inside she was crying, it was the worst nightmare she could imagine, and she couldn't do anything about it. A prisoner in her own mind, as her body was forced to betray the people she was sworn to protect, and help the M'arillians brainwash them in turn. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the M'arillian who had forced it's control over her mind and body. So close; if only she could move of her own will, she could take out at least one source of so much misery, and start work on the rest of them. To think Kiru City would fall today, and she was being used as a contributing factor.

Just as she was about to completely give up hope, a loud and mighty roar reverberated through the city, actually bringing a halt to the fighting momentarily. As the M'arillians gazed toward the source of the sound, the sound of a great crash echoed, then another, and another... Whatever it was, the M'arillians clearly weren't taking any chances, since they forced her and all the others under their control to face whatever threat was approaching. She saw a wall collapse.

_'No, not collapse.'_ Intress noted to herself as she watched the dust settle. _'Someone pulverized it with a single strike. And since the M'arillians don't know what it is, it stands to reason that whoever it is is against them. At least I hope.'_ Hearing another roar, her heart leaped with joy as a large figure lunged out of the hole in the wall and pounced on the nearest floating thing with tentacles.

"Let me tell you something Evil M'arillian Invaders, bent on conquering all of Perim!" Rath shouted as he began pummeling, Intress and every other controlled creature being forced to rush to the defense of their slaver. "Rath does not appreciate mind-controlling scumbags trying to take over a planet!" Grunting as creatures of various tribes attacked him, he shrugged of their assault and tossed away the ones who dog-piled on him. "Rath also does not appreciate people who brainwash others to do their evil bidding! Rath has enough bad experience with that, which is why Rath decided to be Rath today, because right now Rath is way too angry to be controlled by anyone!"

While observing the hulking man apparently named Rath, and recovering from being thrown away by him so easily, Intress saw several M'arillians surround the newcomer, primed to send out their brainwashing signal. She desperately wanted to call out and warn Rath, for he was the only hope she saw, if only she could control herself. As she saw the fish people send out their beams, she swore she could actually feel tears of hopelessness as Rath roared, struggling in vain against the force of the control. Just as the final drop of despair began to set in, Rath shocked her as he swung the M'arillian he'd been pummeling around, knocking away all of the other M'arillian trying to control him.

"What did Rath just say to you stupid fish people?!" Rath roared as he swung around the M'arillian again, batting the others of his kind with it like it was a club. "Rath is way too angry to be controlled right now! Even Rath can't control Rath right now!"

As she watched the warrior fight off the invaders, Intress was in awe. Even as she was forced to attack him, she wanted nothing more than for him to win, even if it meant she would meet her end. When Rath grabbed her strongly by the arms and roared in her face, she mentally begged him to end it quickly, as there were more important things to accomplish right now than deal with liabilities.

"Why the hell are you doing what these bozos are saying!" Rath shouted at her, shocking her internally, even as she struggled externally. "Get angry! Rath has been brainwashed enough times to know, if you're stronger than they are, then they can't do anything to you!" Barely even paying attention as several Overworlders caught them both in a vinesnare, he kept on roaring. "Now Rath is stronger than you, and Rath is a lot stronger than them, and you're a tiger like Rath is! So by that logic, you have to be at least a little stronger than they are! So do what Rath does! Get mad! And kick. Them out. OF YOUR HEAD!"

She wanted to tell him that she couldn't, and that his train of thought was just plain crazy, but between the ringing in her ears from his shouts, and the M'arillian's voices in her head, something inside her just snapped. With a mighty roar, and an inner rage she didn't know she had, she pulled upon the forces of nature itself, and seized control of the vines wrapping them, turning them back upon the various controlled creatures to wrap them up. "THIS IS MY BODY!" She shouted to Rath proudly. "NOT THEIRS!" She roared loudly enough at the M'arillians that the shockwave of her voice blew them away.

"That's quite a set of pipes you got there pretty cat lady with the awesome legs, arms, face, hair, body, and everything else." Rath murmured dreamily. "Not even Rath is that loud."

"Enough talk!" Intress raged as she pulled off a sick piledriver on a M'arillian that left Rath blushing and grinning like an even bigger idiot than usual. "It's time for violence! We have a war to win!"

"Now you're talking Rath's language!" The Apoplexian grinned savagely as he cracked his neck. "It's time for these tigers to show these fish who's on the top of the food chain!"

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><p><strong>Takinom<strong>

Gazing at Kiru City through a pair of archaic binoculars, Takinom scowled as she took note of how much damage the M'arillians were causing. While there was no love lost between the Overworld and Underworld, she knew this was no time to be holding petty grudges. The M'arillians were a threat to all of Perim, and unless they were stopped now, everyone was doomed.

Glancing over at the small invasion force she'd managed to sneak out of the Underworld, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about their chances. _'It's no matter.'_ She told herself. _'We are not the main attack force anyway. So long as we can keep the M'arillians occupied long enough for Lord Chaor to reach their leader, our victory is assured.'_ Personally, Takinom wasn't nearly as worried as she would be normally, if only because her most recent recruit had proven himself fiercer and more powerful than any fire elemental she'd ever seen.

"Hey Babe! Are we gonna start up the fish fry sometime this week?! Or are you just gonna stand there looking sexy all day? Not that I have a problem with either option!"

_'Speak of the devil...'_ Takinom thought with a spark of competition in her eyes. "Alright Heatblast, we can start the attack." She smirked at the lava being. "I just hope you haven't burned yourself out dealing with the last batch of M'arillian foot soldiers." She remarked as she gestured to the large battlefield filled with charred M'arillian troops.

"Are you kidding?" Heatblast boasted as he got in Takinom's face and flexed an arm. "Just feel this heat Babe. I'll never stop burning, especially with you around to light my fire."

"Just keep those flames focused on the M'arillian scum, hot stuff." She shot back as she took to the air. "The Underworld may have fallen, but remember; so long as even one Underworlder still lives, this war isn't over!" At this, her small army let out a roar of agreement.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." Heatblast grinned as he lit a fire under a chunk of ground to fly on. "I love a chick who can scrap! Race you to the carnage, Babe!" He challenged as he raced off to Kiru City. "Bet I can waste more M'arillian scum than you can!"

"Ha! In your dreams Hothead!" Takinom took off after him, the rest of the soldiers following closely behind. "You may be powerful, but it's ten years too early for you to match me!"

"Well I know this isn't a dream!" Heatblast snarked back. "If it was, you'd be wearing a skimpy little two-piece, and we'd be lounging by the Lava Ponds, chugging smoothies! And the name's Heatblast, not Hothead!"

The troops following behind the two leaders were both in awe and a little disturbed by how easily this newcomer was flirting with the fiercest woman in the Underworld. While many were the Underworlder who thought Takinom was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen, if they were ever lucky enough to have seen her at all, none of them ever dared voice it, far too afraid of how she'd hurt them if they tried it. This new guy however, seemed to have no sense of self-preservation, which wasn't really anything new by Underworld warrior standards, but Heatblast took it to a downright reckless extreme. Scarier still, the iron lady of the Underworld seemed to be reciprocating the flirting in her own violent way.

"You think you can handle this?" Takinom scoffed playfully. "Tell you what; if you take down more M'arillians than I do, I'll make that dream of yours a reality when we're done here."

"You're on Babe!" Heatblast smirked as he doubled his speed. "Last on there's a rotten Dractyl scale!"

"First one has to eat it, ya cheater!" Takinom shot back as she rocketed forward, steadily gaining ground on the Pyronite.

"Don't tempt me!" Heatblast remarked slyly as he dove headfirst into the city in the center of a group of M'arillians, letting out a huge flaming shockwave on impact. "How many was that?" He asked as he glanced around at the heavily charred and moaning M'arillian foot soldiers before shrugging nonchalantly. "Doesn't matter, I'm still gonna win!" He declared as he rocketed to the rooftops, heading in a clockwise circle through the city.

"He goes right, I go left." Takinom said as she flew off in the opposite direction her fellow warrior was going, sending down fiery death from above. "See you on the other side of Kiru City, handsome." She smirked back fondly at the flaming figure she'd come to rely on and actually like so much over the past few days.

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><p><strong>Aszil<strong>

"Take shelter Your Highness!" A nameless Danian foot soldier pleaded of his princess. "You and your mother must survive this war, no matter how many others among us may fall!"

"I am well aware of my place in the Hive, soldier." Aszil scoffed down at her guards, or at least the ones deemed good enough to function as a last line of defense. "And I am well aware of the stakes here today. The M'arillians know that Mount Pillar is the most important and well guarded location in all of Perim, being both our homeland and a cornerstone support keeping the entire Underworld from caving in. Why do you think they sent such a large attack force here, when the capitals of the other tribes and and their main target of Glacier Planes are much less well fortified right now?"

"A thousand apologies, Your Highness." The soldier bowed humbly, stumbling as the ground shook from the force of the assault on their domain. "We merely worry for the fate of the Hive. Without a Queen to lead us and produce new members for the Hive, well..."

"Do not worry about our future." Aszil scolded strictly. "All that matters now is defending the Hive with your lives. Worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes, and focus all your efforts on making sure we win this battle of attrition." As the rumbling got louder and more intense, Aszil steeled herself as best she could. "One way or another, this war can only end today."

Suddenly, something immense crashed through the door, scattering dust and debris everywhere. Immediately, the troops opened fire, focusing all their unified might on defending their Crown Princess. Aszil, against her desire to face the enemy proudly and fiercely like any other tribal leader would, nonetheless retreated behind a thick section of wall that had been reinforced for her protection. When the dust settled however, instead of seeing enemies downed or injured like they were hoping, were only greeted by the sight of a large, green mass of goo.

"What is that?" Aszil asked in confusion, receiving nothing but uncertain shrugs in response from her troops. Suddenly, as quickly as the goo smashed into the room, it rolled out, revealing for all the see that it was a giant ball of green goo that was filled with, much to their surprise, an enormous number of M'arillians. "More importantly, who captured all of these infernal M'arillians within it?" She questioned in as much awe as a woman of her position should show.

"That would be me!" A high-pitched voice called from atop the sticky ball. Straining their necks up to see the top, the Danians were shocked to see what looked like a small yellow Danian maneuvering the giant sphere. "Sorry about the door, by the way! It's kinda hard to steer these things when they get really big. Just hold on a second!" Deftly rolling the ball with practiced ease, he crashed the goo ball into an approaching hoard of M'arillians, before amazingly causing the entire ball to blow up, sending the seriously injured legions of M'arillians raining to the floor in unconscious piles. "So, anything else I can do for you guys?" The small creature asked helpfully. "I mean, I know I already kinda rounded up at least half of the fish people invading your mountain home, but I'm sure I could find a few more to take out."

At this point, Aszil managed to shake of her shock and take notice of how some of the M'arillians were already starting to rouse themselves from their painful sleep. "I don't suppose you could make another one of those balls?" She asked dangerously.

"I'll do you one better, lady." The small one remarked, before he paused, as if realizing something important. "Hey, wait a minute. I thought the only girls in the Danian tribe were the Queen and Princess."

"You must not be very high in the pecking order of the tribe." Aszil remarked curiously, finding it odd that such a clearly powerful, if underwhelming creature of her tribe had never at least seen her image. "We'll have to amend that later on. I am Crown Princess Aszil, Heir to the Throne of our tribe. You may bow after these infernal invaders are dealt with."

"Okay?" The small one remarked skeptically. "I'll just take care of these guys then." Tapping the green symbol on his collar, the small one changed into a much taller green Danian with long legs and a tall crest, much to Aszil's shock. "Alright! Time to show these fish just what a real bug can do!" With a mighty leap, the green bug jumped all the way to the ceiling, before bouncing off of it, and crashing his crest into a rising M'arillian, smacking it back to unconsciousness, and rebounding to a wall before ricocheting into another M'arillian, and repeating the process until he was quite sure they were down for the count. "And now for the final touch." The green one remarked eagerly before slapping the symbol on his belt, turning into a hulking blue mothman.

"I don't believe my eyes." Aszil whispered in awe and eagerness, her excitement becoming even greater when the mothman reared back and unleashed a mighty breath of frigid air against the invaders, freezing them all in a thin coat of ice the keep them from waking up. "Instantaneous molting, and into such radically different forms with such radically different skills. How has such an amazing Danian as this gone unnoticed for so long, and why is he not being used for breeding stock?"

"Uhh, m'lady?" One of her guards began hesitantly. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, but he's not actually-"

"Hush!" She harshly commanded the grunt as she straightened herself out. "A real warrior approaches, and I shall not tolerate any distractions from the mating offer. Do I make myself clear?" She hissed fiercely, silencing any protest immediately. "Greetings to you, great warrior." She approached the mothman grandiosely. "By what name do you call yourself?"

"Right now?" The mothman remarked curiously, as if he needed to think of his own name. "Big Chill."

"An interesting name." Aszil faltered for less than a second, glancing around at all the frosted over M'arillians. "I must confess, I have never had the pleasure of encountering such a fine specimen of Danian as you before. Defeating so many invading forces with so little effort, and molting so quickly and rapidly as well."

"Uhh, thanks for the compliments, lady?" Big Chill remarked uncertainly. "But you see, I'm not actually a-"

"You must be given a reward for your service to the Hive, and to me personally." Aszil cut him off as she began emitting some pheromones, making the guards surrounding her fidget awkwardly. "Please, I do insist a warrior of your caliber receive the highest honor for a Danian to be blessed with."

"Okay?" Big Chill shrugged uncertainly before pulling out a scanner. "Then I'd really like a scan, if that's alright."

"What the-?!" Aszil startled as Big Chill began scanning her. "Why do you have one of those human contraptions?!" She asked in shock.

"Ask your guards, they've seen me around enough times to explain." Big Chill answered as he put his scanner back wherever he had it before. "In the meantime, I've got more M'arillians to deal with, so..." Slapping the emblem on his chest, he turned into a green winged insect with a powerful odor that sent Aszil reeling. "See ya later!" His wings buzzing at a rapid speed, he zoomed off into the distance, off to fight off more invaders.

"We tried to tell you, Your Majesty." One of the guards dared to approach her once he'd managed to shake himself free of the pheromones. "That 'Danian' that just saved us is actually a human named Ben Tennyson. He uses some kind of strange device on his wrist to turn into all sorts of different creatures, only he can do it outside of the special arenas the rest of the humans need to use." Glancing up to see Aszil was still in a trance, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Are you alright, Your Majesty?"

"Bring me that wonderful human." Aszil muttered dreamily, much to the shock of her guards. "I don't care if we have to steal one of those scanners right out of the clutches of a human and reverse engineer it to take us to Earth, Ben Tennyson and his irresistible pheromones will be mine."

* * *

><p><strong>Back In The Present<br>**

As Prince Iflar continued to preach the benefits that an embassy for Perim on Earth could bring to both worlds, Intress, Takinom, and Aszil were carefully dividing their attention between the meeting and Ben. He'd caught all their eyes in one way or another during the M'arillian invasion, and they'd cast themselves through the Doors of the Deep Mines and fight every M'arillian there before they let him slip through their fingers.

"I fully agree with the Mipedian Prince!" Aszil wasted no time announcing. "There should be a presence from Perim here on Earth. Now that we have the means to travel freely between our worlds, it would be a waste to not even try to make the most of it."

"I second the motion!" Intress declared. "And I would like to recommend that Bellwood become the location of this Perim Embassy. As it is already openly the host to a number of different alien species, our presence here would not cause any alarm to the locals."

"And I second the motion of the location!" Takinom threw her bit in. "We could build the embassy near an entrance to this Undertown where most of the aliens live, granting us easy access to both the human, and alien population."

"I'll need to talk it over with the Supreme Court." Obama sighed. "One of the unfortunate drawbacks of democracy, I'm afraid. If all goes well though, I should be able to get this embassy of yours up within a few weeks. All that will be left then will be for you to decide of who your ambassadors will be, and how many of each tribe you'd feel comfortable with letting immigrate to Earth."

"I will be the Overworld Ambassador." Intress announced unflinchingly, drawing gasps from the other Perim natives present.

As the creatures began whispering amongst themselves about this sudden turn, Maxxor kept enough of a level head to stay open-minded. "Are you certain about this, Intress? You have many responsibilities to the Overworld already."

"Then a shift of my duties is in order." Intress rebuked calmly. "In joining with a new world, it is imperative that we put our best foot forward. Sending the Second-in-Command of our tribe to represent us will show the humans just how much we want peaceful cohabitation with them. Not to mention there will be many other Overworlders moving to this world as well, and they will need the best they can get to represent them."

"An interesting idea." Chaor remarked competitively. "If the Overworld plans to send their number two, I think it's only fair the Underworld do the same. Takinom!" He barked, making the she-gargoyle stand at attention. "You think you can do a good job being the voice of the Underworld here on Earth?"

"Better than any other, my liege." Takinom grinned boastfully, before turning a not too subtle predatory grin at Ben, who gulped as he recalled the flirting his abrasive duplicate had done with her when he pulled his Echo Echo trick to fight several hordes of M'arillians at once.

"And the creation of a new Hive would need to be overseen by a Danian Female." Aszil added as she stepped forward past her guards. "A young and vibrant queen to build up a large new nest quickly. It seems my mother will need to produce a second heir to Mount Pillar." She shared a Hive-based conversation with Illexia, letting her in on the full details of her plans, getting her full support in the process.

"Then it seems the Mipedian Ambassador has been chosen by default." Theb-Sarr glanced at his son, who merely responded with a slight bow.

"President Obama, and Tribes of Perim." Iflar called out to everyone. "It seems that you have your Ambassadors."

* * *

><p><strong>Two Weeks Later<br>**

"Thank you two again, for helping us get settled in on Earth." Iflar bowed to Fourarms and Rook, who were both hauling the last of the luggage that had arrived for the Ambassadors into the freshly built Perim Embassy. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you."

"None at all." Rook assured him. "We are merely doing our jobs as Plumbers. Protecting the innocent, and promoting coexistence between all species."

"Speak for yourself." Fourarms muttered as he set down a few boxes from each tribe in their reserved section. "I haven't had a moment's peace since you guys first came here." Glancing uneasily at Intress, Takinom, and Aszil, the transformed Tetramand got a serious case of deja vu, like whenever alien girls started crushing on him, which was kinda what was happening right now.

"Perhaps this will cheer you up." Iflar offered helpfully. "Today is a day for rest and relaxation. You and Rook shall be showing us around Bellwood and Undertown for the rest of the day. We can take in all of the local sights and leisurely activities. I'm told you're quite fond of a store called Mr. Smoothies."

"Am I ever!" Fourarms grinned before turning back into Ben. "I know all 23 locations in Bellwood, including the inter-dimensional one Hokestar runs."

"Very good." Iflar smiled brightly. "Then you won't mind showing my female counterpoints to various scenic locals around Bellwood and Undertown, will you?"

"Say what now?" Ben skidded to a crashing mental halt.

"Yes, they were surprisingly clear on what they desired to see first." Rook added. "They wished for guided tours of locations connected to Earth pop-culture; cheep restaurants, arcades, movie theaters, and suburban areas. I believe those are your areas of expertise."

"And why do they want to go to these places?" Ben asked grudgingly as the girls began to slowly close him in, a feeling in his gut telling him he already knew.

"We wish to better understand the minds of the humans who would always come to our world." Intress explained as she wrapped an arm around Ben's shoulder. "Now that the scanners have been shut down, and the only way between our worlds is the portal set up in central Bellwood, we need a new way to connect with the people we'll be living among."

"And who better to show us around than one of the very humans who used to come to Perim?" Takinom smirked as she wrapped an arm around Ben's other shoulder. "Don't think I haven't checked your scanner by the way. You've got a lot of scans of me, and I'm pretty sure you got them directly from the source."

Aszil approached Ben from behind and wrapped two arms around him possessively, and one each around Intress and Takinom threateningly. "Full disclosure, I intend to eat you alive soon." She clicked her mandibles pleasantly.

"That's just a euphemism for sex, right?!" Ben panicked as Intress and Takinom shared a competitive glare with the Danian Princess. "You're not literally going to eat me like a preying mantis, are you?!" He wouldn't put it past her, her body structure was very much like a preying mantis, especially her thorax.

"Of course it is!" Aszil scoffed, taking offense to the notion. "What sort of barbarian would practice cannibalism?"

"But Ben's technically not a Danian." Takinom pointed out suspiciously. "That wouldn't make eating him cannibalism for you."

"Are you seriously jumping at that?" Intress muttered in disbelief. "Danians don't eat humans any more than Underworlders eat Overworlders."

"Now you're pointing fingers at my tribe." Takinom scowled. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're just trying to make my tribe look bad."

"As if you're one to talk!" Aszil snapped at the Underworlder. "Who was accusing my tribe of cannibalism just moments ago?"

"Are you seriously at each other's throats already?!" Ben exploded. "You're supposed to be building bridges here, not taking each other down! This is a new world for all the tribes of Perim, and you need to start speaking for each other and your people as a group! Rook, you mind helping me talk some sense into these girls? Rook?" Looking around, he didn't see his partner or Prince Iflar anywhere. "Must've slipped out in the confusion." He muttered bitterly. "Can't say I blame him."

"Ben's right." Intress sighed as she stepped back. "Our tribes have been waring on Perim for so long, it never occurred to us that there were other worlds out there. Worlds where the voices of the people stretch wider and farther across space than anything we can imagine."

"Even when humans started showing up, we never took the idea of external threats very seriously." Takinom back off as well. "We were doubtful of the existence of the M'arillian tribe at first, and look where that nearly got us."

"It seems we've reached an agreement." Aszil backed off, finally giving Ben the breathing room he'd been craving. "In order to better counter the new threats our portal has brought to light, a lasting union between the four tribes will be necessary."

"You got all of that from me complaining?" Ben quirked an eyebrow skeptically. "Huh, usually people just ignore my opinion, even when it is right. Maybe I was just born in the wrong time?" He shrugged as he began walking off, but was abruptly pulled back by the three girls. "What is it now?!"

"Aszil said we needed a lasting union." Intress purred as she brushed his hair.

"And it seems like we've all reached the same conclusion." Takinom added slyly as she glanced at Intress and Aszil, getting nods from each of them.

"And exactly what conclusion would that be?" Ben sighed, just wanting this day to be over with already.

"A political marriage." Aszil remarked casually, making Ben flip out. "The three of us, and possibly a female Mipedian Noble if we can find a willing one, with you."

"A political what now?!" Ben panicked as he began struggling like mad. "You three barely even know me! Why are you all jumping into this so suddenly?!"

"He's got a point." Intress noted conversationally. "We will have to get to know him better."

"We already showed quite an interest in each other during the M'arillian invasion." Takinom gave a predatory smirk. "I suppose I won't mind waiting a bit longer."

"Even Danian Royalty have been known to court suitable sires for life." Aszil added. "My mother never indulged in it, but I must admit to always having craved a lifelong companion."

"Don't I get a say in any of this!?" Ben protested loudly.

"No!" The three girls shot him down simultaneously, causing him to slump in their grip.

"Life just got a whole lot more complicated." Ben muttered depressingly.


	2. Tyr'ahnee

**Tyr'ahnee**

"These are very nice facilities." Intress remarked as she benched 500 pounds, Takinom spotting her as she did her reps. "How did you know about this place, Ben?"

"Came across it while working undercover once." Ben remarked as he took it easy with some casual free weights. "Needed to bust the owner and a few of the members for stealing rocket parts so they could build transportation to a satellite that grew top quality nutrient supplements and steal them all. Picked up some good health habits while I was at it."

"You were going native?" Aszil remarked suspiciously as she did some yoga modified for insectoid lifeforms. "Speaking as a woman who has personally converted more than a few failed assassins into completely subservient Danians, that can be very dangerous."

"First my grandpa and Rook, now my own fiances." Ben muttered sullenly. "Still not 100% on that idea by the way, or even 25% to be frank. And I had everything under control! Just because I was picking up a few habits from the bad guys, doesn't mean I was gonna turn into one. Besides, diet and exercise are good habits to get into, even if it does give you a weird habit of calling people Bro." He sulked as he moved over to one of the machines, the girls just sharing a confused glance and shrug, not sure what to make of the tail end of his casual rant.

"Regardless, remind me to thank whatever hoodlum organized this place once he gets out of prison." Takinom grunted as she hoisted the barbell she'd been holding for Intress over her shoulders and started doing some squats. "By the way, who's running this place while he's locked up?"

"The Plumbers are maintaining this place until they can flip the property at police auction." Ben said as he did some arm crunches. "Say what you will about all the criminals running around Undertown, but when they get arrested - and they get arrested a lot - the Plumbers get lots of turnover from repossessed tech, property, and miscellaneous accessories."

"Nice racket." Takinom smirked. "Think I could get in on it?"

"They are law enforcers, not a racketeering ring." Aszil reminded the Underworlder coldly as she stretched out her many arms in a sunset position. "And even if they were, they would not be so transparent as to take the proceeds of their auctions to line their pockets. More likely they would get whoever keeps the money flowing to the criminals by their reproductive organs and wring them for everything they are worth."

"Thank you for that visual." Intress muttered under her breath as she curled a dumbbell bigger than her head. "Speaking of criminals, did you read the headlines of the Galactic Inquisitor this morning?"

"The Galactic-what now?" Ben asked curiously as he got off the machine he was working and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"The Galactic Inquisitor." Intress sighed tiredly. "The biggest source of media and news in the galaxy, does that ring any bells?" Getting a shake of the head from her boyfriend, she shook her own head in response. "Honestly, Ben, I've only been here for a few weeks, and I've already picked up more about this galaxy than you have."

"When you're going around being a hero every other day, you tend to keep information on a strictly need to know basis." Ben shrugged nonchalantly. "As in, if I don't need to know, I spend my time focusing on more important matters. I figure, if it's something I need to know for work, either Grandpa Max, Magister Patelliday, or Rook can clue me in on the gist, and I'll pick the rest of it up during any investigation."

"And exactly how well does that work for you?" Takinom questioned as she hoisted the barbell back to its resting position.

"A lot better than you might think." Ben insisted; suddenly, as if on cue, his badge went off. "This is Ben 10, Greatest Hero in the Universe. Talk to me."

"Ben," Rook began from the other end of the line. "I know this is sudden, but I need you to gather up the Perim Ambassadors immediately, and meet me at Plumber HQ."

"Already got Intress, Takinom, and Aszil." Ben counted off. "Think you could give the word to Iflar? We're closer to HQ than the embassy."

"Understood." Rook replied. "Over, and-"

"Hang on just a sec, Rook." Ben cut him off. "Mind telling me what the big emergency is?"

"Martians are making contact with Earth." Rook answered. "Given that they recently spread an extremely dangerous artificial plague to the majority of the Audungians in the galaxy, and are now making demands of Earth and the Plumbers for an antidote, it is imperative that we make our full political and law enforcement presence know to them."

"Got it, just one more question though." Ben responded urgently, before his tone turned to confusion. "What's an Audungian?"

"I believe you have already encountered the species once before." Rook noted. "They are small mammals with a fondness for popcorn, who poop gold ingots."

"Is he serious?" Aszil asked, her disappointment in the evolutionary paths some species took heavy in her deadpan voice.

"I remember those guys." Ben muttered as if recalling an unpleasant memory. "Didn't one of those guys eat some meat, turn into a giant, replicating, unstable uranium pooping monster, and make Mars a barren wasteland?"

"You guys have got to be pulling a fast one on us." Takinom insisted, her arms folded stubbornly. "There's absolutely no way such a creature could possibly exist."

"Unfortunately, Ben is quite correct." Rook noted morosely, much to the shock and exasperation of the girls. "Approximately 10,000 years ago, the Martians were forced to flee their homeworld on hastily developed and constructed ships, and for many centuries afterwards until they managed to salvage enough alien technology to grow into the galactic warlords they are today."

"Okay, before this hurts my head any further, let's just agree to say that revenge was their goal, and leave it at that." Intress massaged her temples. "What exactly do these Martians want in exchange for the antidote?"

"They would not say." Rook answered. "Now please, I have other matters to attend to, so come to HQ with all due speed." With that, he cut the connection.

"You heard the man." Ben smiled as he toweled the sweat off his arms and pits before throwing the now odorous towel on the ground. "It's Hero Time!"

* * *

><p><strong>Scene Break<br>**

"This is not what I had in mind." Gravattack muttered grudgingly as he tried to keep things civil between the Magistrata and the Martian Queen, the former of whom looked two words away from tearing the latter to pieces, while the scantily-clad Queen Tyr'ahnee looked like she had all the time and resources in the world. _'Does she seriously have to dress like that?'_ He groaned mentally at the sight of the ebony-skinned, white-haired woman. _'I mean really, she looks more like a mouthless swimsuit model with an embarrassing tattoo on her face than a queen, and her dress in practically see-through! No wonder the Magistrata is so tense. Well, that and the whole 'holding the fate of an entire species hostage' thing.'_

"I ask you again." The Magistrata remarked coldly. "Do you have any intention of releasing the antidote to the virus your people unleashed on the Audungians?"

"Not until our demands are met, in full." Tyr'ahnee answered nonchalantly, her relaxed posture letting everyone in the room know that they needed her more than she needed them.

"As I have explained before, if you wait until your homeworld is completely terraformed, it will be too late to save the Audungians from complete extinction." The Magistrata barely managed to keep herself from growling. "We can restore your planet to its original condition, but it will take at least 6 Galactic Standard Months to make it habitable again, and another year to bring it up to the standards that you're demanding."

"The boss lady does have a point." Gravattack did his best to mediate. "We've had our best guys run hundreds of simulations on the results of the plague you infected the Audungians with, and none of the projected results look pretty in that amount of time. If they don't get the cure within 3 months, their population is gonna go too far down to ever get up again."

"Again, the fate of the Destroyers is none of my concern." Tyr'ahnee deflected the concerns coldly. "If you Plumbers have such a problem with what my grandmother did to avenge Mars, then perhaps you should have stepped in and saved the Martian population from that hideous invasive species 10,000 years ago, or at least helped us repair our planet once the radiation wore off."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, hang on a second." Gravattack cut in. "Before we go any further here, did you just say that your grandmother is the one who released the plague?" Tyr'ahnee nodded. "In that case, no offense, but why are we negotiating with you instead of her?"

"Because the release of the plague was a dead-man's switch." Tyr'ahnee remarked calmly. "And as the current ruler of the Martian Empire, as well as her direct descendant, it's my duty to carry out her last will and testament."

"And you didn't mention this earlier, why exactly?" Intress cut in. "It would have helped move negotiations along if this knowledge were available to us from the beginning."

"Excuse me, but is this jungle woman part of the main negotiations?" Tyr'ahnee remarked, genuine curiosity and interest noticeable in her tone, though Intress still bristled. "I don't mean any offense to her if she is, but without name cards or something to let me know who's who, it just gets so hard to tell when I should or shouldn't regard a comment or question as relevant to the negotiations."

"Name cards will be arranged." Max remarked crossly. "Do you have any other questions, comments, or concerns you'd like to bring up to us before we continue discussing your ultimatum?"

"Well now that you mention it..." Tyr'ahnee hummed thoughtfully and laxly, eliciting groans from all the non-Martian personnel in the meeting hall. "I would like to know why you have Ben Tennyson in here as a Galilean. I know for a fact that he's not really one, so why have him here as anything but what he really is? I mean, it's not like turning him into a Galilean will somehow change his philosophical viewpoint to match the wisdom and patience normally found in his current species. I mean, it is still Ben 10 in there, isn't it?" She remarked with amusement. "I mean, I actually find it a little insulting that you'd think a farce like this would help appease the suffering of my people."

"I wasn't gonna say anything about it, but thank you so much!" Gravattack remarked in relief as he fiddled with the Omnitrix on his forehead until the patch keeping him transformed came off, and he changed back to normal. "I'll be honest, I really didn't wanna be stuck as Gravattack during a political meeting again. Last time I did that, a bunch of alien fleas tried to drill a hole in my molten core and ruin the peace talks."

"Ben!" Max snapped at Ben for his slip-up, too late to stop the damage.

"Drill a hole in his core?!" Tyr'ahnee gasped in overly dramatic faux-shock, her robot guards instantly shielding her protectively. "But that would cause a serious meltdown, destroying everyone in this room in a fiery explosion! You seriously mean to tell me that you'd risk such devastation happening again, all for the sake of appearances?! What kind of leaders and representatives for peace are you?" She declared accusingly.

Casting a fierce glare at Ben, who sheepishly sunk in his seat, the Magistrata tried to salvage the negotiations as Blukic and Driba arrived with name card, which everyone silently put in front of them on the table, the awkwardness of the situations making everyone even more unsettled. "Well you have the name cards you wanted, and Officer Tennyson is no longer a Galilean. Now may we please proceed in our discussions?"

"I don't know, **may** we?" Tyr'ahnee remarked playfully.

"...I'm not certain I understand the question." The Magistrata remarked in confusion.

"I don't like people asking if they 'may' do something." Tyr'ahnee waxed thoughtfully. "It implies that the option to do it was never available before, even if they already had the capacity for it. I think it makes much more sense to ask if they 'can' do something. It shows a little bit of ambition to try and do things you couldn't do before."

"You're stalling." Takinom cut-in abruptly, drawing the sudden attention of everyone in the room. "I've seen it enough times during Chaor's negotiations with Von Bloot to know when someone is trying to eat up as much time as they can to gain a strategic advantage, or just to tick someone off." Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she continued. "You know that eventually we'll wear you down, and you're just trying to stall for as long as possible until then. After all, every second we waste here is another second that Audungians could be dying from the plague your grandma released."

At this accusation, a fierce stare-down began between the Martians and the Plumbers and diplomats. Emotional and mental tensions ran high, and the dwarf Martian Commander that had been standing silently by Queen Tyr'ahnee trying to look intimidating was the first to crack when he saw Ben's hand twitching towards the Omnitrix. Fumbling as he tried to pull out his ray gun, Martian Commander X-2 was swiftly restrained by Jerry's prehensile mustache, and escorted from the room. At this cue, the tension in the room dissolved as Tyr'ahnee began a slow, sarcastic clap.

"Well done, Ms. Takinom." Tyr'ahnee remarked playfully. "Very well done indeed. You're right, I am stalling for as much time as possible, all to make sure as many of the Destroyers die as possible, as per my grandmother's instructions in her will. Truth be told, I don't even have the least bit of interest in the affairs of the Audungians." Everyone in the room took her referring to the Audungians by their true species name instead of just the Destroyers as a good sign. "My grandmother was one of the few Martians who still held a grudge against those who destroyed our homeworld's ecosystem, even though it happened millennia before any Martian alive today was born. She was an extremist who had the ridiculous pipe dream of wiping out the Audungians, and recolonizing our homeworld, even though it's really more of a cautionary tale to our people these days."

"Then perhaps you might be willing to disregard the will of your grandmother, and provide us with the antidote immediately." The Magistrata requested, inwardly glad to see this negotiation coming to a close, while remaining regally impassive on the outside.

"Actually, in accordance with Martian culture and law, she cannot do that." Rook informed the Magistrata reluctantly. "Unless ruled impossible, or at least extremely improbable by a higher authority, the last will of a direct relative sharing at least 25% of your DNA must be adhered to. Failure to comply will result in immediate summary execution, even for the queen."

"That is correct." Tyr'ahnee scowled as best she could without a mouth as the droids surrounding her suddenly turned their guns on her, much to the shock of everyone present. "So you see, my grandmother is holding me hostage as much as I'm being forced to hold the Audungians hostage. I don't exactly want to be needlessly cruel, but unless an authority higher than my late grandmother comes along and orders the Martian Armada to stand down, my hands are tied."

"I am the Magistrata." The Magistrata announced firmly. "I am one of the highest authorities in the galaxy, second only to First Thinker Azmuth. And you mean to tell me that even my word is not enough?"

"Granny hated the Plumbers, as do many other Martians." Tyr'ahnee remarked tiredly, as if she were reciting a speech she'd been forced to sit through and memorize a thousand times, which she probably was. "Blaming them and all the other peacekeepers in the galaxy for not stepping in and saving Mars 10,000 years ago. Ranting about how they thought their Galactic Code of Conduct and the rules of non-interference were more important than the fate of an entire planet. Why do you think Martians have been building up an interstellar alliance with other species who were on the brink of self-destruction ever since we were forced to leave our homeworld? Why do you think we'd knowingly violate Galactic Law to prevent species from wiping themselves out through their carelessness, fully aware that we were essentially declaring war on the so called 'civilized society' of the galaxy? It's because we knew where those poor, helpless species have been, and we don't want them to suffer as we have."

"And building up one of the largest armadas in the entire galaxy?" Aszil noted curiously, having done her studies on the Martian Empire shortly before arriving.

"Fringe benefits." Tyr'ahnee admitted shamelessly. "The bottom line is that Martians do not recognize the authority of anyone but ourselves and our allies. And before you even think about appealing to the representatives on our Alliance Council, think again. Many of them have been riding the coattails of Martian rule for thousands of years, and loyalists to my grandmother are the majority. Many see the recolonization of Mars as the first stepping stone to getting their own planets back in working order, and have as much burning hatred for the Plumbers as my granny did."

"And what is to keep us from merely 'acquiring' the formula for the cure in other ways?" Iflar interjected slyly, hoping that if legal channels didn't work, the illegal ones might.

"About 14954 different firewalls and failsafes." Tyr'ahnee deadpanned. "The only record of an antidote for the virus is contained on our Royal Computer, which is highly encrypted, and heavily protected by 10,000 years of the best defenses, both physical and digital, that the Martian Empire has been able to devise. We've taken every single precaution imaginable to protect the data stored in that vault, as it holds all the scientific accomplishments of the entire Martian Alliance on it. We had Azmuth try to hack it once, and he was detected within minutes before getting the boot. Martians are best known for our programming skills, and the Royal Computer contains the latest versions of every single trick we've ever come up with, and it's constantly being updated."

"Indeed." Rook nodded respectfully. "Martian computers are used even by Galvans, provided they can get their hands on them."

"The formula for the antidote is programed to delete itself if anyone below my grandmother's authority in this matter tries to access it before Mars is completely recolonized." Tyr'ahnee continued. "I'd love to help, but I'm not even the one giving the ultimatum here."

"Isn't there anyone, or any way to give someone authority superseding your grandmother in the eyes of the Royal Computer?" The Magistrata asked, a hint of desperation actually managing to work into her voice. "The gold the Audungians provide to the galaxy is vital for mass production of computers and circuits everywhere. Do you have any idea what this sudden shortage of gold is doing to the galactic economy?"

"I know that, and you know that, but my grandmother spent the last 10 years of her life going senile perfecting the plague and her plan." Tyr'ahnee remarked tiredly. "As for your question, the only person who could possibly overrule my grandmother's will would be the Martian King. The only problem with that is that my father and grandfather are dead, I'm unwed; and unless I find a potential groom whom I am satisfied with, and who holds enough prestige, accomplishments, and political sway to his name that the Council is willing to bypass the typical bureaucracy and five month wedding preparations, and hold the ceremony immediately, then we're out of luck."

"I am beginning to get a sense of what she is implying." Iflar whispered playfully to Ben and Rook, the latter of whom nodded sagely, while the former just tried his best to look small and avoid the playfully batting eyelashes of Queen Tyr'ahnee.

"I take it that you already have someone in mind?" The Magistrata pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly, already feeling a mountain of paperwork coming on.

"Her pheromone levels indicate that she wishes to wed Ben." Aszil remarked bluntly, her mandibles and antenna twitching in irritation and contemplation. "As one of his three fiances, I can't help feeling torn over the implications of this idea."

"Three fiances?!" Tyr'ahnee remarked in shock, getting awkwardly raised hands from Intress and Takinom, as well as an exasperated sigh from both Ben and his grandpa. "...Well this is certainly a conundrum." She remarked, the red line crossing her face turning downward in irritation. "I don't mean to come off as insensitive, but I have no intention to wed anyone but Ben, even for the sake of saving an entire species from extinction. Not only is he one of the only people in the galaxy who would get the approval of the council quickly enough to save the Audungians, but he's also the only one of them I'd ever even consider."

"Why me? Why always me?" Ben groaned in exasperation.

"No other man has ever impressed me so." Tyr'ahnee leaned forward seductively, ignoring the glares her competition was giving her. "I've seen reports about you Ben, both from our own intelligence agencies, and from certain sources I'm not at liberty to divulge." Her tone carried a threatening underlying message. "Subduing the greatest threats from both your own planet, and many others, including the one that wiped out Mars, and even managing to show political and tactical acuity whenever the straightforward methods failed. Knowledge and resourcefulness are the greatest traits Martians look for in potential mates, and you have proven yourself superior; on physical, mental, emotional, and moral grounds alike, to the greatest warmongers, conquers, master planners, cosmic horrors, and would-be universal-scale reality controllers. And you have no idea how much that turns me on." She purred hungrily, ignoring the many blushing diplomats and officers in the room, the Magistrata looking especially close to a boil.

"This is a meeting to decide the fate of an entire intelligent species." The Magistrata fumed. "And here you are, turning it into a glorified matchmaking service?! I haven't seen someone so insensitive since Charles Zenith and his ridiculous game show got canceled."

"I always did hate that show." Tyr'ahnee muttered bitterly, obviously not happy about the comparison. "But regardless of the absurdity of the idea, the fact remains that you can't access the antidote without the Martian King's authority, and Ben is really the only candidate that everyone on the council will almost unanimously agree on."

"...Very well." The Magistrata sighed despondently, pulling up a holographic document and making several signatures on many pages, before handing the document to Tyr'ahnee. "There's still a good deal of bureaucracy to go through, but as of this moment, you and Benjamin Tennyson are now officially married in the eyes of every planet in the Greater Galactic Alliance. All the remains now is the approval of your own alliance."

"Are you serious?!" Ben panicked as Tyr'ahnee happily plucked up the offered document and handed it to one of her robot guards, who transmitted the data to the Martian Royal Computer. "You can't just marry me off against my will like that! C'mon, Grandpa Max, say something here!" He pleaded desperately.

"Sorry Ben." Max remarked somberly. "But the possible extinction of an entire sentient species is classified as a Category 7 Emergency, and there aren't many things the Plumbers aren't authorized to do to stop such a situation."

"Seriously?" Ben bemoaned as Intress, Takinom, and Aszil gathered around him defensively. While Ben wasn't exactly keen on the idea of marriage at such a young age, let alone to someone he'd never met before today, the fact that the girls he'd gotten to know so well during his time as a Chaotic player, especially during the M'arrilian Invasion, were so quick to defend him set his mind at ease somewhat. _'Even if they do wanna get with me as much as Ms. - sorry - Mrs. Martian-Tennyson does.'_ Rubbing his eyes even as Tyr'ahnee received a reply from her council - clearly a positive one, given that she was hugging the document like a schoolgirl who just aced her midterms - he let his mental exhaustion take over, and dropped his face to the table. "I need a smoothie." He groaned into the table.

"That will have to wait for later, Ben." Rook noted as he tapped him on the shoulder. "Right now, we need to head to the Martian Royal Computer to obtain the antidote, and as the new King of Mars, you are the only one with the authority to do so."

"We have teleporters to handle little concerns like that." Tyr'ahnee brushed the concerns off as she, her guards, Ben, Rook, the Magistrata, Max, Intress, Takinom, and Aszil suddenly vanished from the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Martian Alliance Base - Entrance to the Royal Computer Chamber<br>**

"Welcome to our secret headquarters!" Tyr'ahnee announced grandiosely, her voice echoing around the long and tall hallways. "Pretty nice place to set down roots, don't you think Ben?" She batted her eyes playfully at her new husband, who merely folded his arms and looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the universe right about now. "Of course, this is just one hallway, and once Mars is recolonized, we can build our own little palace right next to the Face of Mars. Just you, me, and the kids. Oh, and about 1,000 guards and servants, just to be safe."

"Great." Ben rolled his eyes tiredly as he accidentally leaned his hand on a scanner next to the door, receiving a positive ID and opening the door, much to his shock. "Mind telling me how the computer already knew who I was?"

"The Royal Computer contains all of the knowledge gathered by our alliance over the millennia." Tyr'ahnee declared boldly as she tried to approach Ben, only to be cut off by his three other fiances. "Would you mind moving aside? I'm about to show my government's single greatest and most irreplaceable treasure to my husband, which is kind of a big moment for us."

"We need to do these things in order." The Magistrata scowled crossly. "Antidote first, then... whatever it is you're planning for Ben."

"If you insist." Tyr'ahnee sighed airily as she led them into the sparsely decorated - though heavily guarded - Royal Computer Room, a very large super-computer resting in the back of the room. "Go right ahead, Beloved. Just ask the computer for what you want, and it will respond to your biometrics and voice signature."

"Again, how do you have all of this information on me?" Ben asked suspiciously.

"The Greater Martian Alliance takes the liberty to gather information regarding all potential fiances of the royal family members." A synthetic voice sounded from all around them. "In this way, the alliance ensured the most thorough analysis of each candidate, as well as the rapid response time to an accepted proposal."

"Of course the computer has an AI." Ben sighed through his facepalm. "And you've clearly been stalking me too. Can we just get the antidote to the plague your grandma infected the Audungians with and get going?"

"As you command King Tennyson." The Royal Computer complied as a holographic display of a formula was projected in the center of the room. "Question: Evidence suggests that you wish to submit this formula to Plumber Headquarters to save the Destroyers from their punishment for destroying Mars. Are you certain that you wish to do this? Such a mission runs contrary to the sworn mission of the Greater Martian Alliance, and would likely be frowned upon."

"Is this guy for real?" Ben asked his new wife in shock and disbelief as Rook took a picture of the formula and sent it to headquarters and Galvan Prime for analysis.

"It's an AI." Tyr'ahnee remarked tiredly. "And a rudimentary one at that. It only knows what it's been programed to know, so it'll obviously reflect the thoughts of its creators."

"And it just arbitrarily listens to the orders of the highest authority that orders it?" Ben asked in disbelief as he began fiddling with the Omnitrix. "That seems a little risky, don't you think? It reminds me of this movie I watched with Rook and the girls last night."

"We need to keep our secrets safe." Tyr'ahnee noted as she began tracing circles on Ben's chest. "After all, with so much power in the hands of just one person, with all the assets of our vast armada at our King's disposal, it can get quite... overwhelming." She whispered to him seductively.

"You don't get out much, do you?" Ben said as he cast a subtle glance at Rook, who looked up from his communicator to give a barely noticeable nod.

"If you're worried about my health, there's really no need for it, Darling." Tyr'ahnee stepped back before launching into a dazzling display of gymnastics and flexibility. "I exercise for an hour daily, making certain to get in plenty of aerobics, cardio, and flexibility training." She smirked her mouthless smirk as she bent one leg behind her until it was touching her head. "I assure you, I have strength and stamina to spare. Care to test it?"

"You're a very flirty woman, and you know what you want, I'll give you that much." Ben admitted as he checked his watch again, smirking as he did so. "Unfortunately, it doesn't make you all that attentive."

"What are you getting at?" Tyr'ahnee asked suspiciously, the guards in the room tensing as Ben activated the Omnitrix.

"King Tennyson:" The Royal Computer addressed the room. "Are you certain that you wish to delete all data and programming from the Royal Computer?"

"What the-?!" Tyr'ahnee panicked, along with all the guards.

"Yes." Ben smirked before slapping down the Omnitrix faceplate, turning into Clockwork. "See you on Mars Mk. 2!" He joked as his head dial began spinning, making himself and the rest of his allies disappear in a temporal warp bubble.

"All systems shutting doooowwnnnn..." The Royal Computer whirred to a stop as 10,000 years worth of data was wiped out in seconds.

"Oooohhh, boy..." Tyr'ahnee muttered nervously as her guards began glaring at her with righteous fury.

* * *

><p><strong>One Week Later<br>**

"Hang on a sec, let me see if I've got this straight." Kevin remarked before taking a long sip of his smoothie to prepare for the long recap he was about to do. "So you're saying that as soon as you found out that it'd mindlessly obey your every command, you made a text message for the Martian Royal Computer, saying that you wanted it to wipe out all of its programming. Then, once Rook got the positive analysis of the antidote from both Plumber HQ and the Galvans he sent it to, you sent the text message so the Martians wouldn't be tipped off, and once the computer asked you to confirm, you just said yes, and used Clockwork to hightail it out of there faster than the speed of time."

"A very impressive strategy, I must admit." Intress smiled as she, Takinom, and Aszil raised their cups in a toast.

"And ruthlessly effective at that." Takinom added with a laugh. "Those Martians try to mess with the best, they end up like the rest."

"Do try to cut back on the movies, won't you, Takinom?" Aszil sighed tiredly. "I understand that they're a quick way to study up on Earth culture, but I can't help questioning some of the things you pick up from them."

"Speaking of movies, that is actually how Ben managed to tip me off to his plan." Rook noted proudly. "When Ben mentioned the movie we watched last night, even though it was incredibly out of context for his comment, I realized that he must have been referring to the ending of the film, where the main character activated a global scale EMP, so that both sides of the conflict that opposed him lost everything, and sending the entire planet back to the dark ages, while he walked away scot-free."

"Oh yeah, I think I saw that movie once." Gwen remarked curiously. "Isn't that the one where the guy has to go into a walled-off prison city to retrieve some tyrant politician who's trying to blackmail his enemies, otherwise he won't get the antidote for the lethal poison he's been injected with?"

"You are thinking of the first movie in the series." Rook noted. "An understandable mistake, given the similarities between both movies. Still, the end result in both movies is more or less the same. Everyone who thought they could manipulate or kill the main character loses, and only one man walks away satisfied from it all."

"All very fitting comparisons to my present situation." A familiar and unwelcome voice remarked crossly, drawing everyone's attention to an irate looking Tyr'ahnee, who was dressed in blue jeans and a red midriff tank-top. "Hello, Benjamin Kirby Tennyson. Surprised to see me?"

"Not really." Ben shrugged nonchalantly before taking a leisurely sip of his smoothie. "Bad guys always try to get revenge on me at one point or another, and I knew that you'd be no exception. I like the new look, by the way."

"Really?" Tyr'ahnee asked hopefully. "I was worried it would be too conservative, but I'm glad that you-wait a second!" She shook her head. "I'm still furious with you for costing me my throne, and don't think a few sweet words will get me to fall for you again!"

"You lost your throne?" Ben asked, not sounding all that concerned or sorry. "Sorry to hear that. I guess being married to the guy who cost the Martian Alliance its place as one of the leading galactic powers wasn't very good for PR, huh?"

"We are not married!" Tyr'ahnee huffed irritably. "And yes, you cost me my throne, or at least my place at the top of the alliance. I'm still queen of the Martians, but after every other race in our empire unanimously agreed to cut us loose, that's not nearly as prominent a position as it once was. Do you have any idea just how hard it was for me to break out of the cell I was put in for enabling you to set the technology and sciences of the Martian Empire back 1,000 years, and forced us out of the alliance we worked for ten millennium to build?"

"Obviously not very hard, since it's only been a week since Ben put you guys in the doghouse." Kevin said mockingly, getting a gentle ribbing from Gwen for his troubles.

"Don't mind him, he's an insensitive jerk." Ben remarked. "Wanna come join us for a smoothie or two? My treat."

"Well I have been surviving on just the rations I stole when I escaped from my cell, so it might be nice to sample the local cuisine and-Stop doing that!" She snapped herself out of her clearly still powerful infatuation with Ben. "I'm trying to be furious with you, and that's very hard to do when you keep being nice to me! I swear Ben Tennyson, you will suffer dearly for your transgressions against me! This I swear!" She shouted before marching off in a huff.

"By the way Mrs. Tennyson, the Plumbers have started recolonizing Mars." Ben called out to her teasingly. "After all, you did keep your part of the bargain, it's only fair we keep ours."

"Ohhh, I knew you still loved me!" Tyr'ahnee squealed excitedly as she rushed back and embraced Ben, who had not been expecting that reaction. "I'm sorry about getting so cross with you earlier sweetie! I was just so hurt when you up and left me like that, but to hear you care so much about me as to helping rebuild Mars, and still consider me your wife, it just makes me so happy I can't even be mad!" Giving him a big long kiss that made Intress, Takinom, and Aszil simmer with rage, Tyr'ahnee took a seat next to Ben, happily holding onto his arm all the while. "Promise me that we'll never be apart again, my love. Every second away from you was like an eternity of sadness."

"Uhhh..." Ben trailed off uncertainly as he looked to his friends and fiances for help, all of whom just pretended that he wasn't there. Turning nervously to Tyr'ahnee, he got one look at her big, pleading, hopeful eyes and just couldn't say no. "Alright, we'll never be apart again."

"Oh, Ben!" Tyr'ahnee cheered happily as she began to nuzzle.

_'Oh, brother.'_ Ben thought tiredly as he tried to drown his confusion and uncertainty in smoothies.


End file.
